Thoughts By Author – Peter Vaudry
1: A 35 year period between Youth Acts of Kindness.
There is a definite pattern of logical sequence of Kindness in the Youth in my Book
1951 – Roberta – Act of Kindness by boy in tying her shoelaces –
1986 – Jessica Cave’s B-Day with donations to Cat Scan
2021 – Aurora McCaig and Michaela Lynn – Good Deeds Hero Awards –
The continuation of Acts of kindness by the youth of the Sault – Pretty consistent.
2: Speaking of the flowing out of kindness.
I was also thinking of HomeComing and the 10 year span of births: 1940 – Ken Danby – Roberta Bondar in 1945 and David Johnston in 1949. That was quite an Era for the Sault.
3: Kindness – My thoughts on Kindness IS Sault Ste. Marie were verified in 1983– from pages 126 to 130 of my Book – the letter from Pierre Elliott Trudeau – P.M. states “none will be more treasured than your warm welcome and kind words” – Our Prime Minister at that time recognized that Kindness is a part of us.
Signed by PET and boys including Justin. (Justin Trudeau becomes 23rd P.M of Canada from 2015 to 2025.)
4: Incivility – In 2024 while I was writing my Book – 41 years later based on what I am observing my thoughts are now changing to concerns that we could be in danger of losing our Kindness.
On pages 152 -153 of my Book our current Prime Minister Mark Carney recognizes that Kindness is in danger in our Country when he put his name to a letter in the Globe and Mail – which reflects my feelings about the Sault in danger of losing its Kindness as I wrote my Book.
The letter was signed by 50 prominent Canadians including the Current P.M Mark Carney
An Open letter – THE GLOBE AND MAIL –
PUBLISHED APRIL 2, 2024. Mark Carney
“An open letter to Canada’s political leaders – for the sake of the country’s future. We, the undersigned, are calling on you to address urgently the rise of incivility, public aggression and overt hatred that are undermining the peace and security of Canadian life. This issue is so important that it transcends partisanship.
It’s nice to have confirmation that I may be right BUT I really wish it was different.
Peter Vaudry
Thoughts By Author – Peter Vaudry
Hi All: As I sit here my thoughts go to the word “CHOICE”
I write that “Kindness Is Sault Ste. Marie” but it is my experience that the Sault Ste. Marie Way is to Choose to be Kind.
In most of the instances I write about, including in my youth, it was a reflexive Choice that the people of the Sault made.
I was reading again a copy of “Our Daily Bread” article from Nov. 2024 by Michael E. Wittmer PhD. Professor of Systematic Theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary – in which he writes “We are who we’ve chosen to become”.
The people of the Sault have always chosen to be Kind.
I have been concerned about the lack of civility in our Society for a while. I think the Sault – with its Legacy of KINDNESS – can be the example of civility based on our history of KINDNESS.
I worry in today’s wired world that we may lose the Kindness due to today’s current apathy and indifference which is one of the main reasons why I wrote the book.
Let’s reinforce who and what we are and keep it strong.
Take Care. Blessings. Peter
Thoughts By Author – Peter Vaudry
Hi All: During a ZOOM Committee Meeting I spoke of my appreciation for the work Alexandra (Alex) Syrette, Communication Manager, Batchewana First Nation has done and continues to do in her role as a contact for the Kindness Week Committee with the Batchewana First Nation. I also spoke of her enthusiasm about Kindness Week and that she has agreed to join the Committee.
I spoke especially of the writing of Trevor Sayers – a Traditional Knowledge Keeper (pages 201 -202) where he writes about Wiingashk – Sweetgrass – a kindness medicine.
I realize I was passionate in addressing this as I was, and continue to be, very impressed with the knowledge he is sharing with us and the willingness of the Batchewana First Nation to engage in Kindness Week.
Anyway, if you have the time, I would recommend that each of us read the whole section (pages 197-202) again to appreciate more fully “The Seven Grandfather Teachings” and about Sweetgrass – a kindness medicine.
I do think we can learn as we go.
Take Care. Blessings. Peter
Thoughts By Author – Peter Vaudry
A Kind Person Has Been Called To Be With His Lord
FR. Hamish Currie
Pastor, Precious Blood Cathedral, Sault Ste. Marie
Fr. Hamish Currie was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Alexander Carter April 25, 1980. Fr. Hamish has served in various parishes throughout the Diocese.
Fr. Hamish Currie who passed away on September 19, 2025, at age 73 was a contributor to this book.
Father Hamish took the time to personally meet with me to discuss KINDNESS and the writing of this book and put his thoughts in writing as a contribution to this book and the Catholic call to Kindness.
A part of his written thoughts to me are below
The Catholic call to KINDNESS is rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. The Psalmist proclaims, “The Lord is Kind and merciful” (Psalm 103). Jesus commands his disciples “Love one another, as I have loved you.”(Jn 13:34)
Indeed, throughout the scriptures there are numerous examples of the call to hospitality, care for the unfortunate, concern for the widow and orphan.
Catholic theology and practice is founded on the life and death and resurrection of Jesus who is the fullest expression of the KINDNESS of God as expressed in the Scripture.
The Catholic Catechism describes KINDNESS as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of the Church through the centuries has affirmed and encouraged that teaching.
Father Hamish, in his contribution to this book, included the written words of Pope Francis (266th pope of the Catholic Church who passed away in 2025) who spoke of KINDNESS often and well. Below is an excerpt from Fratelli Tutti:
“Kindness frees us from the cruelty that at times infects human relationships, from the anxiety that prevents us from thinking of others, from the frantic flurry of activity that forgets that others also have a right to be happy.
Often nowadays we find neither the time nor the energy to stop and be kind to others, to say “excuse me,” “pardon me.” “thank you.”
Yet every now and then, miraculously, a kind person appears and is willing to set everything else aside in order to show interest, to give the gift of a smile, to speak a word of encouragement, to listen amid general indifference.
If we make a daily effort to do exactly this, we can create a healthy social atmosphere in which misunderstandings can be overcome and conflict forestalled.
Kindness ought to be cultivated; it is no superficial bourgeois virtue. Precisely because it entails esteem and respect for others, once kindness becomes a culture within society it transforms lifestyles, relationships and the ways ideas are discussed and compared.
Kindness facilitates the quest for consensus: it opens new paths where hostility and conflict would burn all bridges (Fratelli Tutti, 222-224).”
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